I would rather they didn't at this stage. They need a proper sports car program for the M4 to replace the Z4 GT3, and they need a factory backed touring car program for either the F30 or the F21.

As yet the F30 has bugger all worth talking about in terms of motorsports victories. The E21, E30, E36, E46 and E90, we're all regular sights on track.

I do love DTM, but it has zero relevance to the road cars. And, the M235i Racing is great looking little racecar, but I'm not sure how many series it can actually compete in outside VLN.

F1 is a joke, it's not accessible for the majority of fans, and really what will they gain? BMW.WilliamsF1 and BMW Sauber F1... a $3billion bill for what, a few race wins (1 as BMW, the rest with Williams), to be in the 'pinnacle' of motorsport?.. how much is that really worth, when Renault have more wins and titles? The 3 series has taken a long, long list of championship titles over the years, in close to production series and GT series, and now.. nothing.

Hey, if they enter, I'll cheer for them on the occasional times I can catch F1 on TV... but I'd still rather be able to go a local track and watch them race in something first hand.

The new 1.6L Turbo V6 engine regulations make the technology more relevant to today's/tomorrow's cars that could spur other car manufacturers to join. With Honda partnering with McLaren next year as an engine supplier, I wouldn't be surprised if BMW followed suit and supplied engines for another race team. Mercedes is dominating this year with their engine and factory team, so I'm sure BMW is not turning a blind eye to their rival.

I doubt this happens. BMW spent 10 years and a TON of money in the 2000s, with an end result of 0 WCCs and 0 WDCs. They spent billions of dollars for a handful of race wins with Williams, and a 'lucky bounce' win in Canada in '08 as a full fledged constructor. BMW doesn't have any interest in racing unless they know they can go in and win. If they aren't winning, they bail.

Me too. It would certainly be an easier sell to the board. I love F1, but it is completely irrelevant to road going cars. Endurance racing is where manufacturers can experiment with technology and directly apply it to road cars. F1 is a playground for rich guys, nothing more. Everyone keeps touting the 1983 title year, but that was 30+ years ago and it happened ONCE. In general, F1 has not been kind to BMW.

Me too. It would certainly be an easier sell to the board. I love F1, but it is completely irrelevant to road going cars. Endurance racing is where manufacturers can experiment with technology and directly apply it to road cars. F1 is a playground for rich guys, nothing more. Everyone keeps touting the 1983 title year, but that was 30+ years ago and it happened ONCE. In general, F1 has not been kind to BMW.

The interesting part of this though is they say engine supplier, not constructor. The same engine that they supply to an Formula 1 team can be used in LMP1 in the WEC. So in theory they would get the most bang for the buck by building an engine, supplying it to F1 teams AND build a LMP1 car around it to run in the WEC & Le Mans. There are rumors of Ferrari returning to LMP1 in the near future because they can use the same engine in LMP1.

I would rather they didn't at this stage. They need a proper sports car program for the M4 to replace the Z4 GT3, and they need a factory backed touring car program for either the F30 or the F21.

Not sure how they are going to approach using the M4 in sports car racing. It was obvious when they switched to the Z4, they have no immediate intentions on trying to run a turbo 6 M4 in endurance racing.

The interesting part of this though is they say engine supplier, not constructor. The same engine that they supply to an Formula 1 team can be used in LMP1 in the WEC. So in theory they would get the most bang for the buck by building an engine, supplying it to F1 teams AND build a LMP1 car around it to run in the WEC & Le Mans. There are rumors of Ferrari returning to LMP1 in the near future because they can use the same engine in LMP1.

True, but I don't know how eligible the current F1 spec engine is for LMP1. AFAIK, you can't just plunk your F1 engine into an LMP1 chassis and go racing; I think there are slight differences in the regulations. I could be completely wrong, but I seem to remember reading something to that effect.

And even still, we'd be talking about a forced induction V6, something BMW has never ever ever ever built in its 100 year existence. I can definitely see them doing some sort of 'LeMans based' racing like they did with the old LMR-V12, but with an engine configuration they're already producing. If F1 moves to turbo inline four cylinders, then I could see BMW getting back in as an engine supplier.

Time will tell, but dear god do I miss rooting for BMW in F1. I still wear my 10 year old Williams-BMW hats on a regular basis.

True, but I don't know how eligible the current F1 spec engine is for LMP1. AFAIK, you can't just plunk your F1 engine into an LMP1 chassis and go racing; I think there are slight differences in the regulations. I could be completely wrong, but I seem to remember reading something to that effect.

Something tells me it isn't as simple as plucking the F1 engine and putting it in a LMP1. A grand prix distance vs running 24 hrs, is a whole different ball game.

Something tells me it isn't as simple as plucking the F1 engine and putting it in a LMP1. A grand prix distance vs running 24 hrs, is a whole different ball game.

yep, although reliability in F1 is a lot more important than it used to be. five 'power units' per driver have to last an entire season. Still, your point is spot on; there's no chance a current F1 spec engine would make it for a 24 hour race distance.

As long as they are in it for the long haul. Not getting out as soon as things went wrong with economy.

Thank you. As soon as things went south they tucked their tail and ran, leaving Williams and later Sauber with a mess of poor finishes. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing BMW and Ford coming back along with Honda. It'd certainly add some much needed elements to the mix.

Thank you. As soon as things went south they tucked their tail and ran, leaving Williams and later Sauber with a mess of poor finishes. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing BMW and Ford coming back along with Honda. It'd certainly add some much needed elements to the mix.

As long as they are in it for the long haul. Not getting out as soon as things went wrong with economy.

Well, that's the problem with BMW and their racing programs. They're never in it for the long haul. They don't enter unless they are 100% confident they can win right away, and they leave at the first sign of trouble.

The latest case in point is WSBK. They made a big hoopla about the S1000RR in '09, and by the end of '13 they had decided to completely withdraw works support for the series. They didn't win, so they packed up their toys and went home.

I still give Peter Sauber a lot of credit for keeping that team together after BMW dumped a big fat "Dear John" letter on them after the 2009 season. That was pretty shameful in my opinion.

I'd love to see BMW get back into F1, for the THIRD time, but only if they're going to be serious about it.